Spiral 2014

Takashi Murakami made "Spiral" without any fixed date, and it’s a wild ride of color and form. Looking at it, I’m struck by how artmaking is this process of bringing chaos into order. The surface has this incredible, almost airbrushed quality, super smooth, which is interesting given the somewhat manic energy of the figures. Notice how the black outlines define each form, containing the explosion of color within. It's like he's wrestling with the tension between control and chaos. I love how the tongues spiral out, becoming almost like separate characters, playful yet slightly menacing. Murakami reminds me of Elizabeth Murray, someone who bent the rules of cartoonish figuration, but with a distinctly Japanese sensibility. The piece embraces this ambiguity, inviting us to find our own stories within its vibrant chaos.